I fretted about my girls and their love of princesses (read about those frets here and here) for years. I wasn't sure if their young hearts would pick up the subtle messages of those stories. As a story lover, I wanted them to know the stories because they are a part of our culture. As a mom, the messages of "happiness is finding a prince" and "look beautiful and dress fancy no matter what" disturbed me. By the time I started thinking seriously about these issues, they had seen every Disney princess movie except Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (the dragon was way too scary for my oldest who has a very vivid visual memory). Not wanting to ban the princesses, I searched for other, less traditional princess stories to share with my kids.
I've listed the alternative stories below using links to Amazon, but I want you to use your library. I think you should check these books out of the library and only if you love the story and want to read with your girl over and over again should you buy it. And if your library doesn't have it, get it through interlibrary loan or ask them to order it. Over 70% of the time that I ask, they say, "It will take about two weeks to get it into our system." That's saves me space and money. Enough of my library soapbox, these are modern fairy tales and as such, you could pick apart the faults of the stories if you wish, but my girls loved them and I liked the alternative framework and talking points they provided.
by Carmela La Vigna Coyle
This is the first alternative princess book you might read. It is aimed at the younger crowd of 2-4. It isn't really a story as much as a poem about what a princess can do...which is really just about anything. It is a cute story with fun illustrations. If you love it, check out the other books in the series, Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? and Do Princesses Scrape Their Knees?
by Karen Linamen
A dear friend, knowing I was struggling with the power of Disney princesses, found this book for my girls. It's a beautiful book aimed at 4-8 year-olds and a bit longer than most books for little girls which makes it a great sick day, snuggle book. It redefines the life of a typical princess and helps the reader understand that a princess doesn't get her rank from beauty, good manners, or even conversation skills. Her father is the reason she is a princess. And yes, the book will lead you right into the discussion of being God's princess. There are two more books in the Princess Madison series; we have not read them, but I've put them on our list since I just discovered them today!
by Jennie Bishop
This book has all the sap and beauty of a traditional princesses story. But retold with God as part of the story. The princess's "kiss," a sort of glowing thing in a little bag, is the precious gift she will one day give her husband. She must save it for him. The princess sees that most of her suitors would not value her kiss or were not worthy of it. When a common man asks to see the princess, he tells about his humble life and how he has watched and prayed for a wife. He offers her his kiss (again in a glowing bag). The two are married. While the story isn't perfect, it offers a fun way to start a conversation about the future prince in your daughter's life.
by Karen Kingsbury
The King holds a contest to find a husband for his daughter. He designs a competition "to determine which knights possess great courage and strength, deep loyalty and kindness, and most of all a deep faith in God." Three knights are left by the last test. They must pretend they are carrying the princess and see how close they can get to the edge of a cliff without going over. *spoiler alert*The winner is the one who says he would not go near the cliff with the princess. The story is sweet and I love the role of the king in choosing a knight and the daughter's willingness to trust him. This story is the prettiest of the books, with the fanciest princess and most beautiful illustrations.
by Robert N Munsch
A friend recommended this book years ago. I forgot about it until just now. But I put it on our list of "to read" books because I love the idea of a story where girls learn that men who only value their looks are a waste of time. Do I hear an amen? Here's the summary from Amazon:"Elizabeth, a beautiful princess, lives in a castle and wears fancy clothes. Just when she is about to marry Prince Ronald, a dragon smashes her castle, burns her clothes with his fiery breath, and prince-naps her dear Ronald. Undaunted and presumably unclad, she dons a large paper bag and sets off to find the dragon and her cherished prince. Once she's tracked down the rascally reptile, she flatters him into performing all sorts of dragonly stunts that eventually exhaust him, allowing her to rescue Prince Ronald. But what does Prince Not-So-Charming say when he sees her? "You smell like ashes, your hair is all tangled and you are wearing a dirty old paper bag. Come back when you are dressed like a real princess." (At least he has the courtesy not to mention that the princess's crown resembles a dying sea anemone.) In any case, let's just say that Princess Elizabeth and Prince Ronald do not, under any circumstances, live happily ever after. Canadian author Robert Munsch celebrates feisty females everywhere with this popular favorite, and Michael Martchenko's scratchy, comical, pen-and-ink drawings capture the tongue-in-cheek quality of this read-aloud crowd pleaser. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson "
Thanks for sharing this, Laura! Great list! My girls love Paper Bag Princess. I think it's the only princess book we own. Glad to know there's some other good ones out there. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso a 2-4 crowd pleaser: Not all Princesses Dress in Pink http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416980180/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bumbleb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1416980180
ReplyDeleteThe girls favorite line "Some princesses wear their jewels while fixing things with power tools." When we had this out of the library with the girls, they recited this all the time... and stole daddy's screw drivers... :-p